Unforseen Circumstances
by WhimsiMimsi
Summary: Sophie Christensen has been chosen to be an Avatar Driver in an attempt to learn more about Pandora and it's resources when her expedition takes a wild turn. What adventures  and problems  will ensue? Rated T for language - Tsu'tey/OC
1. Smiles

**a/n: hello all! thank you for choosing to fly 'KissmeShawol's Crazy Story Adventures'! we do appreciate your patronage! for those who are seeing this from my other stories and do not wish to read, you can exit to the left. for those who do want to read this story, continue forward. Tally ho!**

**disclaimer: i do not own Avatar, characters, nor the plot. I do, however, own Sophie, Aggie Christensen, and any other additional characters. **

**enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Smiles<strong>

"_Momma?_" An eight year old me tugged on the bottom of my mother's scientist coat. She turned and looked down at me with a smile.

"_What is it_,_ Sophie_, _honey?_" Her sweet accent filling the air in a melodious tune. She bent over and picked me up with ease, her blonde bangs tickling my face.

"_Do you have to go?_"

"_Yes_, _honey_, _I do. I've been given an amazing opportunity to go to Pandora and study the people there._"

"_Is Gracie going?_"

"_Yes_, _honey_, _Gracie is going_," I had turned to see my godmother, Grace, come in. She was about 35 at the time and looked so young and vibrant; her wild, unruly red hair made her look lioness like, her green eyes sparkling with excitement and her clothes looking like she was in for a lazy day. My mouth had pulled into a pout as I crossed my arms.

"_No fair! Momma's takin' all of my favorite people!_"

Both my mom and Grace gave a hearty laugh. Grace held out her arms and my mother passed me over to her. Hugging Grace's neck close, I buried my small face into her shoulder.

"_I'm going to miss you and that adorable accent of yours_," Grace said.

"_You have momma's._"

"_Yes_, _I do_, _but her's isn't as cute_."

"_Hey! My Aussie accent is just as good!_"

"_But it isn't as cute!_"

"_Would you two cut it out?_" I turned in Grace's arms and smiled at Max, who held his bags in both hands, "_We do have a plane to catch._"

I sniffled and felt the tears coming on. Wiping furiously with my small hands, I tried to hide them but everyone seemed to see. They all 'aww'ed and brought me into the middle of a group hug. The tears began to flow easily and I saw that almost all the people I know and love were leaving me. For what? A chance to begin a new life on a thriving planet. They're leaving me on this dying one instead. If it were me, I guess I would've done so, too.

* * *

><p>My mother, Agatha Christensen, was a scientist. That part is obvious. She was a botanical scientist, one of the best in the world. She just had a thing for plants; any and all kinds. Especially flowers. She would always teach me about the flowers after we would have our daily lesson of learning about the aborigines of the planet my mother, godmother, and their friend were flying to: Pandora. Since I was a baby, she's been teaching me Na'vi and English so that I could someday communicate in both.<p>

They've been on Pandora for the past 4 years and I've yet to have some face-to-face time with my mother. I've spoken to Max plenty of times and Grace a few, but I have never seen my mother. It kind of upsets me, but I can't be too mad at her. She _is _on another planet with a whole other species of "people" and plants, what else am I to expect?

When they left, I lived with my Aunt Georgina in Brisbane, Australia, my hometown. My mother had left Australia when I was born so that she could raise me in a "healthier" enviorment. Brisbane had turned into an industrial waste town and when I went back, I immediately began to wish for my mother to have taken me with her to that beautiful, lush, lively world she dreamt of going since she got into school. We always had to wear Oxygen-Pacs and had to have an emergency back up kit at all times, just in case. It was a pain in the neck, I tell you.

I moved back to the States when I was 14, just after my Aunt died because her Oxy-Pac (that's what I liked to call it) failed on her in the middle of exercising at the gym. I was able to get into a good school (one that wasn't completely destroyed or unhabitable, but it was pretty much falling apart just like the rest). It was an institute for higher learning, supposedly, but it did help with my fascination for animals and plants alike. I guess I do tend to take after my mother.

I'm now 18. I've graduated college (it was so old and decrepit, no one knew the name of it. Not even the teachers. So we just called it 'college') and was surprised to find out that I was selected for the 'Avatar' project. I mean, yeah, my mom was a huge contributor to one of the first scientists to really go to Pandora and stay and I did have her knack for plants and science, but does that really-...

Forget I even started that sentence.

* * *

><p>"Sophie!" I heard a loud bang at my door, "You ready yet?"<p>

"In a minute, Norm!" I shouted back, sighing and raking a hand through my long, wavy blonde hair. Sometimes he was just _way _too impatient!

"Hurry! I want to get there early!"

"Why? Seriously Norm? Don't push your luck."

"For what?"

"For being here early and not me biting your head off," I smiled as I opened up the door from my bedroom and into the hallway. Norm stood there, in a plain white wife-beater and black pants, his hair slightly unkempt, "Looks like you just woke up, too."

"They said to dress comfortably," He shrugged, hiking his backpack higher up on his shoulder, "You ready?"

"Almost. Just let me use the restroom, then I'll be done," I smiled and set down my duffel bag, walking past Norm and entering the small bathroom. I looked at my reflection and took a good look at myself.

My heart shaped face was surrounded by soft, wavy blonde hair that reached my mid back. That will probably be annoying when I get up to find my hair a birds nest, so I pulled it back and up, tying a rubber band around a loosely made bun. My bangs were thin and framed my clear, green eyes. A few freckles dotted my small nose and my lips looked like they were always pouting, even when I smiled. My stature is standard; a 5'9'' height with small curves here and there. I was no supermodel, but I wasn't ugly either. Today, like Norm, I sported a white tank top and black sweatpants.

Biting my lip slightly, I did my business, washed my hands, and walked out with a smile, "Ready?"

"**Ready**," Norm said with a smile. I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I grabbed my bags and keys, walking out of the small apartment with Norm and locking the door.

"**No Na'vi language until we get there**!" I laughed, the language of the Na'vi coming to me easily. I had met Norm in my second year and we became fast friends. He always wanted to learn about Pandora and whatever decided to come across it. He had recognized my last name and immediately clung to me like fungi. We pulled on our Oxy-Pacs and walked outside to the awaiting car.

"**You speak it fluently yet you refuse to speak it**?" It was Norm's turn to laugh. I rolled my eyes and climbed into the door after Norm pulled it open. I just shrugged and buckled myself in, trying to mentally prepare myself for this. I knew I wanted to go, but I don't know if I could go through with it. It's been about 1-2 years since I've last spoken to either Max or Grace and I was getting worried. I've yet to hear from my mother at all. I began to tap my foot as we reached our destination and I felt something on my arm. Turning, I looked and saw it was Norm's hand on my forearm, "Look, Sophie, you'll do great. If anyone deserves to go to Pandora, it's you."

"Tell my stomach that," I said, holding a hand to my stomach. It felt like it was doing backflips, "I just... I'm nervous."

"I know you are, so am I," Norm smiled, "But you gotta keep thinking about this. We're going to _Pandora_, the only planet that we know of out there that is alive and thriving! We're getting this amazing opportunity to be on a planet that is alive and is new and it's just... amazing! Don't be nervous, Sophie. Be happy."

"I guess..." I gave him a small smile. He rolled his eyes and pointed over my shoulder. I looked in the direction and gulped. There it was. The large ship that would take me, Norm, and a few other hundred to Pandora. The ship that would host us for 6 years on our journey. The ship I was so deathly afraid of.

I tend to have some... wild phobias, you could say. Take the phobia of having the ship we were to board (if I recall correctly, it's called the ISV Venture Star or something) would burn up halfway there and we'd all die in the cold vaccuum of space.

That and clowns.

What? They freak me out!

The car stopped and both me and Norm stepped out. While I was grabbing my bags, my hands began to shake. Norm's hand closed around mine on the bag handle and he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll be fine. I promise," He said to me lowly. I nodded.

"I just... I just wish we had our third wheel," I smiled sadly and Norm chuckled.

"Tom's watching over us. He'll make sure we'll get to Pandora safely," Norm patted my shoulder. Our 'third wheel', Tom Sully, was a part of our team in college. We did everything together from school work to just hanging out. He always made fun on my strong Australian accent and tried to copy it more than once. To say I had a crush on him was putting it mildly. I had always admired his bravery and courage all the way up until the day he died. He was so stubborn, he just wouldn't give the man his wallet, so the latter decided to shoot the former.

I cried for days.

Taking in a deep breath, I walked into the large Facility building, looking around and seeing that most of the people in there were either asleep or up and moving nervously. So I wasn't the only one who was nervous? Moving towards the Check-In Counter, I gave the lady there my card with my ID number and name.

"First timer?" She smacked her gum, "Good luck, kid."

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes, took my card, and left towards one of the only empty seats left. Norm joined me a few minutes later.

"Now, we wait," Norm said with a slight smile.

"Joy."

* * *

><p>"<em>Welcome to ISV Venture Star. You are here because you were choosen for your talents to venture to Pandora-<em>"

"Ew, I hate promotional junk that feeds us lies," I laughed to Norm as we waited in our line to board the ship.

"You hate anything that feeds you a lie."

"True, but I guess I get that from my mom."

"I suppose," He shrugged. Smacking him on the arm, I moved forward with the line. Only one more person and then I will be boarding.

"Card, Ticket, and ID please," The man there, wearing a white surgical outfit, asked. I gave him the three items and saw his face light up, "Ahh, a Christensen. You'll do fine."

"Thanks," I mumbled, pushing past him and into the large ship. I hated when people associated my work with my mom's. Yes, she was amazing and I was proud of my mother, but I don't want people to give me any special treatment because of my last name or who my mother was. I wanted to make it on my own just like I have been since my Aunt passed. Waiting by the door for Norm, I caught a glimpse of something that made my head and heart reel.

Tom.

But something was different. Tom never had his hair longer than buzzed and was never in a wheel chair. Looking around, I saw that Norm was caught up in the line, so I made my way over to the Tom-look-a-like.

"Excuse me?" I asked politely. The man in the wheelchair turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" He even sounded like him! My heart did a little backflip.

"I-I'm sorry. You just look like someone I knew."

"Let me guess, you thought I was Tom?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well," He chuckled, holding out his hand, "I get it a lot. My name is Jake Sully, I'm Tom's twin."

"Oh, Jake!" I smiled, shaking his hand, "Tom's talked about you a lot."

"Hopefully nothing bad."

"Never. He would never shut up about you and how proud he was."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's... that's cool," Jake said softly, probably to himself, before looking up at me, "You haven't told me who you are yet or where you got that awesome accent."

"Oh!" I blushed embarassingly, "My name is Sophie Christensen. I'm from Brisbane, Australia."

"I've always wanted to go there."

"Don't. It's nothing but a wasteland now."

"Well... that sucks."

"You're telling me. So, what are you doing here?"

"I was asked to fill in for Tom in the Avatar Program. I guess it's 'cause we were twins, our DNA was similar or something."

"So you're going to be an Avatar driver? That's cool."

"What about you?"

"Same, though I'm not filling in for a twin," We both laughed. It was nice, it was almost like Tom was here, but he wasn't. His brother had many similar qualities; facial features, stature, voice. But there were different aspects; Tom had a more serious attitude whereas Jake was more carefree, Tom had an almost intimidating air about him whereas Jake had an air that said 'Let's go have a beer together'. I think I just might like him.

Don't get me wrong, I was severely disappointed when I found out it wasn't Tom, but in a sense I was also happy. Tom was at peace now, not on a dying planet where he, himself, was dying as well. I don't know how Tom would've done on Pandora and if it would cause him more pain. Tom had asthma (he got it pretty bad, too. He had a few anaphylactic shocks at school, scared the crap out of me and Norm) as well as arthritis in the knees and in the back. Not only that, but I overheard a conversation between his doctors as I passed by their office that his lungs were beginning to deteriorate from inhaling the noxious fumes for too long at his work (he never specified where he worked).

"_All passengers with the last name A-K_, _please report to port 1._" I heard the speaker say. I smiled to Jake.

"That's me. See you in a couple years," I winked and he laughed, waving as I walked away. I passed by Norm.

"Hey! I lost you!"

"Yeah, sorry. I have to go now."

"I know. I heard. Good luck, and don't worry, you'll be fine. Go get 'em, Smiles," Norm hugged me and I hugged him tightly back.

"Thanks, Norm," I smiled as I pulled away. 'Smiles' was his and Tom's nickname for me, since I always seemed to smile even with my pouty expression. Walking towards the port opening, I turned one last time and waved to Norm. When he returned it, I walked through the door. Someone was there with a clipboard.

"Last name, first initial," They said absently, not bothering to look up.

"Christensen, S."

"You'll be in Row 7, Pod 56 on the right. Please put your things in your locker, they're located at the beginning of the Rows. Hurry up, now."

Nodding, I followed the massive crowd that was making its way to the pods. Finding Row 7 easily, I located my locker, unlocked it, and put my duffel bag in it. Turning, I walked down the rows and found my pod quickly. There was already someone in a white surgical suit there. Did they all wear the same thing?

"Hello, Ms. Christensen," The man there smiled. At least he has a good attitude, "I'm here to run you through some procedures."

"Alrighty," I smiled, walking up to the pod. The man there smiled and opened it, gesturing for me to step inside. As I stepped inside and turned, the man began to buckle me up.

"The ISV Venture Star will be flying to Pandora, a moon that orbits the gas giant Polyphemus near the star Alpha Centauri A. This trip will take 5 years, 9 months, 22 days. During that time, you will be put into something called cyrosleep. You will sleep the entire way there and will be awakened the day of arrival. You will be hungry, you will be weak, and you will more than likely be sick. You will be rebriefed when you awake. Do not try to remove yourself when you awaken, you will hurt yourself. Just wait for someone like me to remove you from your pod. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I do," I smiled, tugging at the straps that the man just wrapped around me. The man nodded with a smile as well, pressing a button next to my pod. I felt my self being lifted up and turned around then rotated onto my back.

"Have a good sleep, kiddos," I heard the speaker in my pod say as the door closed and sealed me in. I couldn't help but laugh.

That made me feel a whole lot better.

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><p><strong>an: this is one of my first stories venturing into the 'Avatar' playing field so please bear with me as i'm trying to work out the kinks. i do appreciate constructive criticsm and any pointers you may have about the story and plot line (i'm poor so i, alas, cannot afford the DVD, special collectors DVD, nor the James Cameron Field Guide. i get most of my information from the internet, so please bear with me and my efforts)**

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	2. Links

**a/n: Hello! I do apologize for the wait. my router completely DIED on us and then my friend spillt soda over the laptop's keyboard so i couldn't put in any wifi codes. so now i have to upload at a library (ew xD)**

**alice: yep! but hey! you guys get a chapter!**

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><p><strong>Links<strong>

You know how they say that you cry whenever you don't dream? I suppose that I never cried.

During the entire trip, I always had a dream that I was running. I don't know where and I don't know why, but I was always running. Always running. Always escaping.

But from what?

Greens and blues blurred my vision as I pushed my body faster, the soil beneath my feet conforming to my heels, the cool wind brushing my hair back, my heart racing, my limbs extending further than I had ever imagined. This... This isn't my body, but it was. It was like it was someone elses, but mine. The leaves of the trees seemed to always reach out and brush by my skin, their touches featherlight and always tickled my face and arms. I always heard animals running beside me, urging me on, almost telling me to run faster.

I listened. I always ran faster. Always.

Every time I got to the edge of the forest I was in, there was a sheer, craggly cliff that dove at least 1oo meters into sharp, jagged rocks and the ocean. I would look over and down, dread beginning to fill me. I heard a loud roar, my hearing super sensitive now, and I turned in fear to look into the dark forest. Some large shadow was lurking near me, closer and closer, until it was nearly upon me. Looking over my shoulder, I had but one choice to make and that was to drop. Spreading out my arms, I fell back. Now I was tumbling, diving faster and faster to the ocean, the air cool and the wind wrapping around me. The salty smell filled my nose as I continued to fall closer and closer to the cold ocean beneath me. For some reason, I was smiling, I was exuberant. Just as I was about to hit the waves-

I woke up.

That's what happened for the entire trip. No other dreams, just that one. It would repeat itself and I would see something new each time, a new color coming into play or a new smell or a new feel on my bare skin. Each and every time, the dream began to get more vivid. Each time, I would run faster. Each time...

I wished I never woke up.

It made me feel truly alive. It made me feel like I could take on anything. It made me feel dangerous.

And I loved it all.

But alas, one always has to wake up from their dreams, no matter how much they want to stay asleep.

And this time was no different.

* * *

><p>I can't believe it's already been 5 years, 9 months, and 22 days.<p>

I've missed my 19th, 2oth, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd birthday.

That kind of sucks.

I was expecting to get flat-out drunk on my 21st birthday. But then again, I never had a craving for alcohol nor drugs, even when I could get my hands on them. I just never had the urge to do them. Seemed too gross at the time.

I don't know why I was thinking about this when I woke up. I guess I just had the idea fresh in my mind when the man who put me in my pod a few years ago (now looking a bit more gray-ish) helped me out.

"Have a good sleep?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I've had better," That made him laugh, "Don't feel to good, either."

"That's to be expected. If you feel the need to heave, there are waste baskets next to the lockers. Please go there and get your things, then get in line to get on a Valkyrie. From there, you'll be transported to Pandora."

"Thank you," I said with a smile, watching him as he unbuckled me. I felt my body begin to float away from the pod and I grabbed the railing in the middle of the aisle, using it as a device to help me get to the lockers. I found mine and unlocked it, grabbing my duffel bag and using the bar to get to the door. Once I swung myself out, I felt the gravity return slowly. Everyone began to drift sluggishly onto the ground and I made my way to one of the lines. I smiled when I saw Jake and jogged up, "Hey, Jake."

"Hey, Sophie," He smiled. I was about to say something when someone in front of us cleared his throat. Everyone in our line turned their attention to him.

"This is what we get this year? Pfft, looks like pickings are getting shittier with each year," He laughed boisterously and I rolled my eyes. This guy practically _oozed _ego.

"I don't think I've ever disliked someone so fast," I said lowly and Jake laughed. The guy up front glared at the two of us.

"Anyways, my name is General Cutlock, I will be the commanding officer of this group. I'm here to go over some basic guidelines that will prevent you from being killed. First off, _never _remove your Exo-Pacs. Pandoran air will knock you unconcious in 2o seconds and will leave you dead in 4 minutes. Second, do not leave the Valkyrie until told to do so. And third, watch your step. You _will_ be stepped on or step in something that will both leave you dead. Do we understand these guidelines?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The group responded. Great, I bet I'm the only scientist in a group of pyromaniac, trigger-happy, 'make-a-seaman-blush' cursing army people.

"Good! Now, grab your things, grab an Exo-Pac, and get on the damned ship!" General Cutlock ordered and we all filed up, each grabbing an Exo-Pac (I had to give Jake his since he was a bit... short to get it). We then got onto the ship and into any available seat, mine was located towards the back and Jake parked next to me. We talked along the way to Pandora and when our 'guide' Cutlock told us to put on our Exo-Pacs, we were both jarred by the rough landing.

"Jeez, learn to fly, will ya?" I said softly and Jake smiled.

"You're funny."

"I've been told."

"Good," He smirked and the General told us to get up and out. I grabbed my duffel bag and waited for Jake.

"C'mon you two! We're not waiting forever!" The General snapped at us and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh shut up," I said under my breath as I passed by, walking quickly outside. Jake kept pace before shooting an arm out and hitting me in the thighs, cutting me off from my next step, "What are you-?"

I looked up to see a giant bulldozer type of machinery pass by, the wheels all punctured by several arrows with brightly colored feathers attached to the end. Both me and Jake shared a look and then continued on. Up near the rest of the group, I saw two meatheads looking both me and Jake over. Oh great.

When we passed by, I heard one of them scoff, "Would you look at that? Meals-on-wheels."

"Wasn't lookin' at him, lookin' at her."

"Yeah, ain't bad."

"Finally we get somethin' worth lookin' at here," They both laughed and followed us in. Rolling my eyes once more, I just ignored them and walked in with Jake by my side. We walked into the Mess Hall and everyone was watching the guy up front talking about Hell and going there for some R&R or something. I zoned out halfway to my seat, not bothering to really pay attention to the guy up front with the nasty scars on his face.

Honestly? He scared the crap out of me.

On the other hand, Jake was all smiles, saying that 'there's nothing like an old-school safety rebrief to put your mind at ease'` or something like that.

Yeah, he's nuts.

* * *

><p>"Norm!" I smiled, rushing up to wrap my friend in a tight hug.<p>

"Hey, Smiles," He laughed, bracing himself against the wall with one arm and wrapping his other around my waist.

"It's been so long!" I drawled out dramatically and Norm laughed again, releasing me. I looked over towards Jake and waved him over, "Jake, this is my best friend, Norm. Norm, this is Tom's twin, Jake."

"Was," Jake said, holding out a hand and I rolled my eyes, waving a hand at him.

"Details, details."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Tom's said nothing but wonderful things," Norm smiled and Jake laughed.

"That's what I keep hearing."

"Okay, well, we were about to go on a tour of the area we'll be basically be living in for the next few years. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" I smiled, nudging Jake.

"I guess," He just shrugged and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't be such a party pooper," I laughed, walking after Norm and Jake keeping pace (theoretically) with me.

"I'm not," Jake laughed and rolled beside me as Norm led us towards the Bio Lab.

"This here is the Bio Lab," Norm said, gesturing to the room.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I replied snarkily as I walked into the room, obviously not anticipating what I would see. There were rows of lab tables filled to the brim with computers, tubes, microscopes, and other various items for science-y stuff. I'm a botanical scientist, not a chemical one. There were several cords entertwining in the cieling that draped slightly overhead so we have to be careful where we walk.

"Hush, you," Norm said and continued to walk, "We'll be spending most of our time here in the Bio Lab. Pratically living here for the next 6 months, or in Sophie's case, 5 years."

"Joy," I grumbled. Since I was a botanical scientist, they needed me more than the Avatar Drivers to help understand Pandora's network and how they could retrieve the unobtanium they were so desperate to get. Inevitably, I had to stay longer than most of them. Just like my mother had to, like Gracie had to, like Max had to.

Like all of them had to...

"Hey, Sophie? You okay?" I blinked and looked down, seeing Jake have a concerned look on his face. Giving him a half-smile, I nodded.

"Yeah. Just... daydreaming, I suppose," I said softly, looking up and seeing some blue to my left. Norm wasn't paying attention so I walked over to the tinge, seeing that it connected to another room. The room was large, huge rows of computers lined the room and in the middle were three large tubes, each hosting their own blue creature. I smiled and walked up, looking at each of them with genuine curiousity, until I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning, my eyes widened and a smile broke out on my face, "Max? !"

"Hey, Sophie," My mom's long-time friend smiled and opened his arms out wide. Immediately taking him in a hug, I couldn't stop smiling. He looked exactly how I remembered him, his hair was just a bit grayer and his skin was darker, but he had those same warm, brown eyes and the same wide smile, "God, you haven't changed a bit. You're just gorgeous now."

"Thanks," I giggled and pulled away, "So... how've ya' been?"

"Iffy. Pandora can be hell on your joints," Max laughed and rubbed his shoulder.

"You old man," I laughed and he gave me a small shove.

"I wouldn't talk like that to the man who helped with your Avatar."

"Okay, I'll give you that."

"Speaking of which, here's yours," Max patted the tube his hand was on and I turned, looking over my Avatar. She looked just like me in facial features and had the same hair length but just about everything else was different. Her hair was a deep brown and waved to mid-back and her skin was a light blue hue, a lighter color than many of the Na'vi that I've seen. Her stripes were more assymetrical and sort of curved in the middle, making her thin face look even thinner. Her eyes were wide (from what I could tell) and her lips mimicked mine in their pouty fashion. She was much taller than me but had similar proportions when it came to curves and bust. I turned to Max with a smile.

"She's so pretty."

"She looks just like you," Norm said, leaning on his Avatar's holding pod. I just gave a shrug and looked over at Jake, who was looking at his Avatar with almost a skeptical look.

"What's up, Jake?" I asked, walking over to him.

"He looks like Tommy."

"He looks like you," Norm came up as well. I smiled and patted Jake on the shoulder.

"They are twins."

"Were."

"Details."

"Make the difference."

"Pfft... whatever," I said, turning on my heel and stalking over to Max, "Hey, Max?"

"What's up, Soph?"

"Can we...?"

"You wanna take them for a test drive?" Max laughed when he saw how enthusiastic I was with my nodding.

"Yes, please!"

"Okay," He laughed and began to walk towards the exit of the room, "All three of you, follow me to the Link Room."

I grabbed Norm's arm in one hand and Jake's in the other and began to (basically) drag them to the Link Room, being slowed down by all the computers and wires in the way.

"Cool your jets, Smiles," Norm laughed and I released their wrists, a blush dusting my cheeks.

"Heh, sorry guys."

"No worries," Jake smiled, "You're eager to get out and moving."

"Uhh, dur," I said, sticking my tongue out and nearly ran into someone as we passed by, "Sorry!"

"Watch it!" He snapped and I wanted to stick my tongue out at him.

"Jackass," I said under my breath, recieving a carefully placed jab by Norm and a snort from Jake. Shrugging, I continued my way with them flanking my sides. It wasn't a long ways to the Link Room and I saw Norm speed up to match Max's speed, talking to him quickly. I looked down at Jake, who seemed to be like a small child in a large city, his eyes wide and darting around the room. Chuckling, I looked forward once more, "It's a lot to take in, huh?"

"You're tellin' me," He muttered as we entered the Link Room. A large platform was in the middle, harboring the computers that would monitor our brain activity and such while we were in the pods. In total, there were (roughly) 15-16 links that circled the room, a few were being used at the moment. I watched as one of the pods came out, the machine powering down and the lid lifting up. I couldn't see who was in it (seeing as the lid to the pod shrouded the person) until I heard a familiar voice.

"Who's got my god damned cigarette?" I couldn't help but smile and laugh softly, seeing a hand shoot out from the side of the pod and waving, "People? What's wrong with this picture?"

I walked up with an even wider smile, seeing my mom's other old friend standing up and taking her lab coat and cigarette from one of the scientists there. Max walked up to Grace.

"Dr. Augustine, this is Norm Spellman. He'll be one of the Avatar Drivers," Max gestured to Norm and he stepped up, motioning his hand to his forehead and gave a slight bow.

"**It's a pleasure to meet you. May Eywa smile upon us on our journey**," I bit back my smile, trying desperately not to laugh.

"**Not bad. A bit formal, however. How about you?**" She turned to me and I raised an eyebrow.

"**I'm fluent in Na'vi**, **if that is what you're implying**," I replied snarkly. Grace raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-uh," She turned to Max, "I'm _not _handling attitude from some newbie from some rundown ramshackle house in New York who thinks her fake accent is cute. Get me someone else, Max."

"Hey, you've known her long enough to handle her attitude," Max smirked and Grace raised an eyebrow, it nearly disappearing into her hairline.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't tell me you don't recognize your own goddaughter!" I said, my eyes widening in feign shock. I put my hand over my heart and I over dramatized my sigh, "Oh, Ewya have mercy on you! Forgetting what your own goddaughter looks like! That's it! I'm done! Packing up and going home!"

"Sophie? !" I lifted my head and smirked at the gobsmacked godmother of mine.

"The one and only," I waggled my eyebrows and walked forward in which Grace wrapped me in her arms tightly.

"God you're gorgeous!" She said after I pulled away, holding me out at arms length and looking over me once or twice, "I'm so jealous!"

"I know," I scoffed, flipping a piece of blonde hair over my shoulder. That got a laugh out of everyone.

"Oh, Grace. This is Jake Sully, Tom's brother," I moved aside so Grace could get a look at him.

"It's nice to meet you," He said, extending a hand. Grace just raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"No, I don't need you. I need his brother, y'know? The Ph.D who trained 5 years for this? I can't- I can't do this!" She turned on her heel and stalked towards the exit.

"Grace! Where are you going?" Max rushed after her. I hung back with Norm and Jake, watching the scene unfold.

"I'm going to set things straight! They're pissing on us without giving the courtesy of calling it rain!" She exclaimed and continued on her warpath. I could hear her shouting someone's name a few moments later and gave a smile. Norm turned to me suddenly.

"Dr. Augustine is your godmother? !"

"Yeah, thought you knew," I shrugged,leaning against the pod she was just using.

"Apparently not!" He threw his hands up and I laughed.

"Norm, you're silly."

"Can either one of you please explain to me what that was about?" We both turned to look at Jake.

"Don't worry 'bout Gracie. She's a bit of a hothead, especially when it comes to her work here on Pandora," I smiled, "She's probably upset that no one here is really supporting the botanical part of the Pandora Project. Don't take it too personally. She just wanted someone with a little more..."

"Brains?"

"I would say... more experience with the Avatar Program. I've logged about 35o hours whereas Norm over there has logged 55o."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we've been through a simulator to give us experience on how our Avatar bodies will feel, what we will see, how we'll smell and hear. That kind of stuff," Norm leaned against the railing behind him, crossing his arms and shrugging casually.

"Then I definitely don't have that kind of experience," Both me and Norm smiled.

"Not many have. Especially with the dwindling resources on Earth, it's hard to find good simulators, let alone Link Pods like these," I patted the pod behind me. Jake nodded slowly, taking it all in. He was about to say something but Grace and Max walked up quickly.

"Looks like we're stuck with another trigger happy moron," Grace said grumpily and I laughed.

"Be nice, Gracie."

"No. That's never fun," She looked at me through the corner of her eye and winked. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. She then turned to Norm, "How many hours have you logged?"

"55o."

"That's good. Soph?"

"35o."

"Not as much but still as good. How 'bout you, marine?"

"Uh... how 'bout none?"

"Great," She said, then motioned to me, "Soph, off that pod. You'll be in Pod 13."

"Will do," I hopped off the pod I had somehow sinked into and looked for Pod 13. It was one over from Graces.

"Norm, you'll be in 12 and Jake, you have 11," I opened my pod and laid down in the green, jelly like interior. It conformed to my body and I relaxed, seeing Grace walk up with a smile, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I smiled and she nodded, closing the lid. Closing my eyes, I could hear the machine starting up and moving me into itself. My brain soon began to feel like it was buzzing with life, a comfortable buzz you get when you get an adrenaline rush or a large shot of caffiene. A vortex of swirling colors lit up behind my eyelids, going from a vibrant red to a neon blue to a soft green and then fading to white. There was a new feeling to my body, something different, something I couldn't describe. All I knew was that I was in my Avatar body.

And it felt great.

* * *

><p><strong>an: soo... I will have a new chapter up within the next few days (if my dad ever gets a new router! GRR!). and i still apologize if i screw up some lines from the movie (since I do not have it and it somehow magically got erased from my DVR) and i will do that from time to time. I don't like fanfics who follow the movie word for word so i don't write like that (take a peek at my Transformers fics, they're FAR from being copies of the scripts) so... yeah...**

**alice: yep! so until then...**

**What do you think will happen next?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :D**


	3. Capture

**a/n: not much to say but here you guys go :)**

**bold - speaking in Na'vi**

regular - **speaking in english**

_italic - _**thoughts**

* * *

><p><strong>Capture<strong>

My eyelids were heavy but I had managed to open them, my vision a bit blurry and blinded by the bright light above me. I saw two figures in front of my face, swirling a bit.

_"...al signs look good_ ," I heard warbled and cutt off words. Almost as if you took a video and paused it multiple times, having the words either cut out or cut short. Blinking a few times, my vision began to clear and I smiled when I saw two scientists standing above me, one with a light shining in my eye.

"_...sual reception looks good. How ya' feelin' Sophie?_"

"Different," I smiled as they did, nodding.

"Good," Finally their voices had became crystal clear and I understood them much better, "Do you think you can sit up?"

"Yeah," I grunted slightly, using my arms to prop me up into a sitting position. I looked at my feet and wiggled my toes, giggling lightly.

"Wiggling your toes? That's good," The lady standing next to me laughed and wrote down something on her clipboard. Finally, she looked up at me, "Alright, we're going to take this nice and easy, okay?"

"Alrighty. Just tell me what to do," Nodding, she pointed to the man next to me and he faced me.

"Can you swing your legs out this way so we can do some tests?"

"Can do," I did as he asked and my feet dangled slightly above the floor. I noticed that I was in the middle table, Norm on my left and Jake on my right. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled as Jake relished the feeling of his legs being there and wiggling his toes.

"Attention, please," The man snapped his fingers absently and I looked back down on him. He held out both his hands and touched each of his fingers to his thumbs, "Can you do this for me, please?"

"Mm-hmm," I said, repeating the exercise easily. I remembered doing this one from training. The lady walked around and raised my leg, pressing pressure points throughout the calf and thigh, "That feels weird."

"S'posed to."

"Gee, thanks."

"For what?"

"Moral support," I looked up to see Norm snort a laugh ahead of me, looking over his shoulder. I threw him a sneer and heard a sudden thump, looking over my shoulder to see Jake standing up (unsteadily) with the monitor chords still connected to him. My eyes widened and I turned slightly on my table, watching as Max and Jake bantered a moment and Jake, ripping the chords from his forehead and arms, walked over to me wobbily, "Jake! What're you doing? You have to get back on the table!"

"Not a chance. C'mon, Sophie," He reached around me and detached the few monitor pads from my temples and wrists, clasping onto my hand, and dragging me out of the room. Norm was protesting and I was pulling against Jake but his grip never faltered.

"Jake! C'mon! Please, lets go back," I tried reasoning but he wouldn't have it. If anything, his grip became tighter. He pushed open the two doors that led to the outside and we were both temporarily blinded by the bright sun of Pandora but he kept running. We nearly ran into a pair of Avatar playing basketball and Jake pulled me out of the way just before we crashed. I could hear Norm running after us but Jake sped up, nearly going head on with a person in a large robotic suit we saw earlier when we got off the plane. Just as my feet barely touched the ground, we were running again. Jake had let go of my hand and ran ahead, running much faster than I was. Slowing to a jog, I turned to see Norm half-run, half-jog up to me, obviously out of breath.

"Jeez... You two... Don't you ever... listen?" He panted, catching up to me and setting his hands on his knees, bending over to catch a breath. Chuckling, I patted his shoulder.

"Eh... Nope!"

"Why... am I... not... surprised?" Norm said, straightening up with a groan, "I'm thrown into my Avatar body, quite roughly, and then I have to chase after your happy butt!"

"Don't lie, you know you like this butt," I smirked, looking over at Jake. He was talking to another Avatar. Was that Grace?

"Hey, Sophie!" She looked over at me and smiled. Yep, that was Grace. She grabbed a fruit from a plant next to her and tossed it to me. When I watched it, it was like it was moving in slow motion and in frames. My new eyes showed me the rotation of the fruit as it moved seamlessly through the air, how the dew flew off of it's slightly fuzzy exterior, how the leaves caught the slight breeze that ruffled my patient's gown. It was truly incredible to watch. As everything sped back to normal time, my hands reached out defensively and, instead of catching it, my hand ended up karate chopping it. I guess I put so much energy into it, it split in half. Watching as both pieces fell to the ground, I looked up at Grace, clearly shocked.

"Uh... I didn't mean to do that..." I smiled, sheepish in my actions. She just looked at me, then to the fruit, and then back up to me.

"What the hell was that? !" She laughed, "It wasn't going to hurt you!"

"I know! It... I guess it was just a reaction!" I pouted, "It looked really good, too."

"Buck up," I felt Norm pat my shoulder, "There's plenty more fruit where that came from."

"Oh shut up," I laughed.

"C'mon, let's get you guys into some clothes," Grace motioned for us to follow her and followed her we did.

* * *

><p>I had met up with Norm after dinner, which I spent most of it chatting happily away with Jake, Max, and Grace about the past few years of my life. There wasn't much to talk about, but apparently they all liked to hear about it. Now I was walking with Norm to the dorms. Grace tried reasoning with me about living with Norm but I had lived with him all throughout college. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't pull anything on me now.<p>

"That was so cool!" He exclaimed, walking into our little dorm. It was simple, a tiny living room with a loveseat and coffee table across from a T.V, a kitchenette next to it and a hallway leading to two rooms and a bathroom. It was a similar layout to our old dorm on Earth.

"I know. It was exuberating," I smiled, walking into the kitchenette and grabbing an apple, leaning against the counter to talk to him easier, "Grace said we need to get a good night's sleep, we go out early tomorrow.

"Yeah," Norm yawned and stretched, walking towards the hallway, "I think I'll take a shower and then head to bed."

"'Kay. Let me know when you're done so I can take a shower as well."

"Will do," He called from the hallway. I heard the door to the bathroom close and the water turn on. Sighing, I ran a hand through my bangs and walked over to the couch, sitting down on it and noticing a book on the coffee table. Picking it up, I saw that it said _A Guide To Pandora: Flora And Fauna Classifications. Written By: Agatha Christensen._

"I miss you, Mom," I said quietly, running a hand on the cover of the book, "Why haven't I seen you here? Oh well, I guess I'll ask Grace tomorrow..."

Opening the book, I began to leaf through the pages, entranced by the bright colors of the flowers, the designs of the plants, the detailed sketches of the animals. It looked like my mother had spent all of her life on this one book when she only took a few years. How could she run out of muse when she had an entire planet to feed off of?

I didn't realize how long I was staring at the book until Norm tapped me on the shoulder with a wet hand.

"Shower's open."

"Thanks," I put down the book and smiled up at him. His hair was wet and his tank top looked a bit damp, "Get some rest."

"You too," He yawned with a smile, walking back into the hallway. I got up and walked into the small bathroom. It hosted one counter with a sink, a cupboard beneath, and a mirror above. I opened the mirror and saw that Norm already put his vitamins and medicines in it. Reaching into my toiletries bag, I also put up my vitamins and pills. I really only had pills for the occasional headache or stomachache. Norm had pills for his joints, his head, stomach, heart, lungs. He said it was all just a precaution, but weren't vitamins for that?

I guess he was just paranoid.

I saw a toilet next to the counter, snug up between the sink and the shower/bath. Pulling the curtains back, I smiled when Norm decided to feel at home, his shampoo's and soaps already taken up most of the space.

"Thanks, bud," I smirked, knocking a few of his bottles to the side and placing my own shampoo's in the spots. Peeling away my clothes, I turned the water onto hot and reached for a towel. As I stepped in, I squealed lightly when the hot water touched my cool skin, "Hot, hot, mother ducking hot!"

Turning the knob on the shower wall slightly to the left, I sighed when the water cooled considerably but not so much that I was freezing. Slinging the towel over the railing, I slid the shower curtain closed and began to scrub away the years of sweat and grime I had collected.

And I wasn't kidding about the 'years' part.

* * *

><p>Grace was right, we did indeed set out early in the morning. To say that I was unhappy about it was putting it mildly.<p>

"Don't be such a sourpuss, Sophie," Norm nudged me. We were all in our Avatar bodies and Trudy, our kick-ass pilot, was taking us out into deep jungle. Grace sat diagonal from me and Jake across, Norm deciding to claim the seat next to me. We were practically inseperable since Tom died so why would anything change? Just because we were on a new planet doesn't mean that anything would change.

"No. It's too early!" I yawned before returning my lips to a pout. Jake laughed and Grace looked back at me.

"Still haven't changed a bit, Sophie. Still hate getting up in the morning," Grace laughed. I rolled my eyes and looked to the side. We were setting out to explore the deep parts of the jungle today. Grace and Norm wanted to get some samples for the lab. I didn't really feel the need to get any samples today so I just brought a pocket knife, a pencil, and a small notebook. We touched down a minute or so later and we all climbed out. Grace told Trudy, our pilot, to cut off the power to the chopper. One of the military meatheads jumped out of the helicopter but Grace told him to stay back, to my relief. We need only one trigger-happy moron (and I mean that with love to Jake).

We began to creep through the underbrush of Pandora and I payed little to no attention to the conversation Grace and Norm had. I barely saw Grace insert the needle into the root of the ginormous tree and Norm's expression out of the corner of my eye seeing as Jake had clasped onto my wrist.

"C'mon. Let's look over here!" He said, walking over a few tree roots. Rolling my eyes, I allowed the five-year-old to tow me further away from Grace and Norm. It had been a while since I had truly studied the flora and fauna of Pandora so I couldn't remember many of the plant's names but I do remember what they did or what their uses were. Watching Jake carefully, I watched a pack of lemur-looking creaturess pass by. Grace had snuck up on us randomly just as Jake raised his sniper gun.

"They're not dangerous," She said softly and Jake lowered the gun. I nodded and continued to veer slightly off path with the rest of the group. Grace and Norm stopped once more and seemed to just stay there. Jake followed close behind as we picked our way through thick underbrush. I swiped away a random vine and was surrounded by spiraled flowers, the glow pink and the stem was thick. Smiling out of a faint memory, I reached out to touch one. Just as my fingers brushed the soft petal, the flower sucked itself into the thick vine with a 'Shoop' noise. Startled, my face broke out in a wider smile and a giggle bubbled up in the back of my throat. Jake, obviously hearing my giggle, walked up behind me.

"What's so funny?" He asked, looking at my curiously. I pointed to the flower and when he didn't respond, I touched the flower and it sucked itself in again. Another giggle escaped my throat and was joined by Jake's smile and laugh. We began to laugh with the pretty spiral flowers until the entire bouquet of them had completely disappeared and an angry Hammerhead. I remember that one clearly because it always reminded me of what an offspring of an elephant and a hammerhead shark would look like. He pawed the ground, sounding a warning growl. Jake raised his gun and I put a hand on it.

"His armor is too thick, Jake. You'll just piss him off!" I said under my breath. He looked at me and debated a bit before pulling his gun up.

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"It's a territorial threat display," Grace said into her mic around her neck.

"So what do I do, dance with it?" He asked and I snorted a laugh.

"No, idiot. Just stand your ground," I said, not taking my eyes off of the Hammerhead. The Hammerhead snorted twice before charging forward. Jake yelled as well and met him halfway, "Jake!"

"Yeah!" Jake yelled as the Hammerhead backed off. I smiled before a chill ran up my spine. Something wasn't right. The Hammerhead usually would've squared off with Jake, since Jake was much, much smaller, but this Hammerhead ran back to his herd. I turned slowly, hearing a low growling in my ears. Right there, in between two thick branches of the tree behind me and Jake, sat a prowling Thanator, looking very, very hungry.

"Jake!" I whispered harshly and he turned from his celebratory dance.

"Woah!" He raised his gun to his shoulder just as I was frozen in place, "Sophie! Get out of there! Grace, what do I do? Shoot? Run? Dance with it?"

"Run! Definitely run!" Grace shouted at us just as the Thanator jumped at me. Jake growled and ducked low, grabbing my wrist and pulling me beneath the belly of the beast. Diving into the roots of the tree the Thanator was just in, I pressed my back into the trunk of the tree. The Thanator growled deeply and swiped at us. Jake let loose a hail of bullets toward the large panther-like animal. It did nothing to lessen the fury and Jake soon ran out of bullets.

"Shit," He said under his breath, clasping onto my wrist once more and darting from beneath the roots. The Thanator was hot on our heels, not allowing his easy prey get away so quickly. He dove for us and Jake pushed me aside, the Thanator latching onto his pack. Lifting Jake high in the air, the creature swung him back and forth like a rag doll.

"Jake!" I yelled, feeling useless. I would pick up a stone or a heavy branch to throw at the Thanator but my fear of hitting Jake was greater. Jake finally found his bearings and unsnapped his pack, letting his body fall to the ground and rolled.

"Let's go!" He yelled, pushing on my back to get me to run. I ran, oh did I run. I don't think I've ever ran so fast in my life, then again I've never had to run _for _my life either. My feet carried me much further than Jake and much faster. Something in me had somehow snapped and my body controlled itself rather than my mind. It was like I took a back seat and let someone else control my body for me. It carried me to a cliff, where I stopped short. It was a sheer drop, at least 7o feet, into rushing waters that would surely drag me down. I couldn't see Jake anywhere, nor did I see the Thanator, so I did not worry about going over. I stepped back from the edge and heard a low growling once more. Whirling on my heel, I saw nothing. Not the Thanator nor anything that could produce such a low, feral growl. It had sent shivers down my spine and made me feel on edge. I reached for my dagger in my pocket and clasped the cool metal tightly, ready to pounce if needed.

"Jake!" I yelled, hoping to get his attention, "Jake!"

Nothing. I heard nothing but the squawks of the native birds. Not a sound even remotely close to a human, an Avatar, nor a Na'vi. A feeling of dread began to fill me as I whirled around once more. The forest completely surrounded me and it trapped me between it and the long drop into the icy cold rushing waters below. No animals made themselves known but I could feel their presence, almost as if on instinct, and I knew they were there. They were watching me, analyzing me, criticizing me, testing me to see if I was worthy of walking among them. Standing tall, I held my head high and looked around. The forest began to whisper, the leaves tickling my bare arms and face. It sent me jumbled messages at first until I felt it almost push at my back. Taking a step forward, I looked around. A breeze began to pick up and it urged me on, deeper into the forest. A sense of calm washed over me, pushing away any tidbit of dread and fear I had. Something in me told me that I was safe, that nothing could hurt me.

'_Come with us. You belong with us_,' I heard several voices speak to me, a harmony of all ages and all genders that seemed to flow together smoothly. It was almost as if they were speaking into my ear. A warm feeling began at my fingers and spidered up my arms. I looked down and saw that it were tiny vines from surrounding plants intertwining themselves around my fingers and my arms. They glowed with a pale white light and spread warmth wherever they touched. They pulled my arms out, pulling me towards whatever destination they seemed to urgent to take me to faster.

"Who are you?" I asked to the voices softly.

'_Your true family. You belong with us..._' Was all they said and the vines wrapped all the way up to my shoulders before stopping and pulling me harder.

"With who?"

'_Us. Your family. You've returned to us_, _just as the prophecies have fortold. You are destined to be here_, _with us. You belong with us. With us..._' The voices began to fade as I continued to walk. The vines never let up their pressure and made me walk for hours, or at least that's what it felt like. The sun was well below the horizon when they finally released me of their grip. When everything had released me and stopped their pushing, I suddenly felt very tired. My energy was completely depleted. Sinking to my knees, I put my hands on my legs and tried to regain a lost breath. Taking in a few deep breaths, I felt something sharp prick my neck and lift my chin up. Allowing the spearhead to lift my head, I was met eye to eye with a Na'vi warrior looking unsure of what to do. His eyes were wide and held a near scared look in them. He looked young, no feathers in his queue yet and no battle scars. He must be a young warrior.

"**What is this alien doing here?**" My eyes glanced over and saw another warrior on a direhorse. He looked older than the one who had the (now shaky) spearhead to my throat. He sat high on his direhorse, looking very regal and feral. A few feathers hung from his neatly threaded queue and no braids hung in his face. The other warriors seemed to hang back so he must've been the leader of the hunters.

"**This alien can speak for herself**," I retorted back in his native language. I heard an audible gasp as the lead warrior narrowed his eyes at me. He hopped off of his direhorse and stalked up to me. His body was lithe and his moves were cat-like, each step precise and barely made a sound. He grabbed my chin roughly and forced me to look at him.

"**How dare a dreamwalker talk in our language. You have no right!**" He backhanded me and the force made me fall backwards. He grabbed my queue and roughly yanked me up. Giving a soft cry, I gave to the pressure and stumbled up. My hands clasped around his and tried, futilely, to wrench his hands from my sensitive queue. He raised his dagger to my throat, the poison dipped carved tooth glimmering in the bioluminescent lighting of the surrounding forest. I closed my eyes to not having to look into the cold, harsh eyes of my killer. He pulled back and he swung his arm down.

"**Tsu'tey! Stop!**" He stopped just and inch from my throat, the blade of the dagger resting comfortably against my perspiring skin. I opened one eye to see the Na'vi who was about to kill me, Tsu'tey, look over at one of the warriors with an annoyed look.

"**What is it**, **Hilswan?**" He asked, clearly annoyed.

"**Look**," I could hear the warrior (who inadvertly saved me) say in wonder. Tsu'tey turned back to me before looking above my head. He released my queue almost immediately and stepped back. I looked up to see a dandelion-looking puff floating down. It landed on my nose, tickling it, and making me sneeze.

"**Stop!**" Tsu'tey said harshly and I gave him a deathly glare.

"**I can't help it if I sneeze**," I sneered. He returned my glare before looking back up. I followed his gaze and saw hundreds of the dandelion puffs coming down. I knew they were seeds of the Sacred Tree, pure spirits of Ewya. They came down and landed on my skin, all over my arms and my chest. One landed on my head and tickled my forehead. A smile made it's way to my face, a feeling of light-heartedness filling my senses. I blew a few from my arm and the rest followed suit except for one. It was smaller than the rest and it settled on my shoulder. I looked at it and petted it with a finger, the tendrils of the spirit soft and light as air, "**Would you like to stay with me?**"

"**Don't be stupid. The seeds of Ewya wouldn't want to incorporate themselves with the likes of you**," I turned back to the man who originally wanted to kill me.

"**Oh? And who are the likes of me?**"

"**Dreamwalkers. Demons in false bodies. People who try to be like us but are too ignorant to see that they will never be like us**," He came up and stood in front of me, easily towering over my shorter body, "**I would kill you but Ewya would punish me severely.**"

"**Then take me to the Tsa'hik. She would know what to do**," I responded calmly and he inhaled a sharp breath.

"**You will **_**not **_**tell me what to do!**" He raised a hand but my newfound friend floated up and rested on his hand. Tsu'tey lowered it slowly and growled, turning on his heel sharply and getting onto his direhorse, "**We will take you to the Tsa'hik but you will walk. Dreamwalkers have no priveledge that we People do.**"

"**I ask nothing more of an escort. From then on**, **you can desert me**," I simply said and Tsu'tey nodded, giving the warrior behind me a sharp look.

"**Hilswan! Make sure this dreamwalker does not escape our grasp**," He gave a cruel smile and rode off. The rest of the warriors followed suit and I looked behind me to the young warrior who had the spearhead to my throat earlier.

"**Hilswan**, **I see you**," I smiled, pressing two fingers to my forehead and bringing them down. He gave me a stunned look before smiling softly and returning the gesture.

"**I see you...**" He trailed off, not knowing my name.

"**Sophie**," I smiled widely and began to walk in the direction that Tsu'tey and his followers rode off to.

"**Sophie...**" Hilswan said with a heavily accented voice. Giggling, I nodded and looked over my shoulder.

"**Well? You going to escort me or not?**"

"**Oh! Right!**" Hilswan jogged up and walked next to me. We walked quietly for a few moments when we heard Tsu'tey yelling ahead. Hilswan looked over at me with an apologetic look, "**I'm sorry but I-**"

"**Say no more**," I smiled, holding out my queue for him to hold. He nodded, looking relieved in a way, and grabbed my queue. Since it was my queue and it was so sensitive, I dismissed the small shiver his touch sent down my spine as something that usually occurs. He held a dagger loosely to my queue and we jogged up.

"**Hilswan! What took you?**" Tsu'tey glared at me (which I gladly returned) before looking at Hilswan accusingly.

"**We were walking**, **nothing more. We are the only one's without a direhorse.**"

"**Whatever**," Tsu'tey turned on his direhorse to look at a Na'vi woman who was pacing around a figure in the middle of a ring of warriors. She was tall and sleek, her hair in many braids and a bead around the tendrils that hung around her face. She was beautiful to say the least. Something tickled my throat and I glanced down at my shoulder, seeing the spirit still on my shoulder.

"Sophie!" My eyes snapped up to see the figure in the middle of the circle looking at me. My eyes adjusted to the new darkened light and I saw that it was Jake.

"Jake!" I smiled, about to lurch forward but Hilswan tugged softly on my queue, knowing that he was giving me a gentle warning to not cross Tsu'tey, who was glaring between me and Jake.

"Sophie, what happened to you?"

"**This alien does not belong here**," I was about to say something to Jake when Tsu'tey interrupted. I sent him a glare.

"**Then what is she doing here?**" The woman Na'vi motioned to me, not in hostility, but just pointing out a fact.

"**She is a matter that the Tsa'hik must refer to.**"

"**So is he**," Tsu'tey growled and narrowed his eyes at her, "**If the girl goes**, **so does he. This is a matter only for the Tsa'hik.**"

"**Fine. Bring them both**," Tsu'tey turned his direhorse sharply and galloped off. A few of the warriors trotted after him but most stayed and pushed me and Jake towards the direction. Stumbling a few times, I followed them without much of a problem. My friend sat on my shoulder, it's tendrils tickling my skin softly. It took a few moments to reach a clearing where me and Jake looked up in wonder, a tree more massive than any spaceship, skyscraper, and building I've _ever _seen! The thing was massive! One of the warriors moved my head down so that I was facing forward and I continued to walk. We walked into the tree, a few fires lit to light the tree from beneath and made all the Na'vi there light up in an eerie blue-purple tinge. The warriors passed me and Jake through throngs of Na'vi and a few brave one's touched us on the arms and chest. Looking ahead, I saw Tsu'tey standing next to, what I believed to be, the Oelytukan. The woman Na'vi who had saved Jake stepped forward, using the gesture I used to Hilswan.

"**Father**, **I see you**," He nodded and looked at us. I nodded to him.

"**Oelytukan**, **I see you**," I said softly, gesturing my hand as well. He looked startled but gestured back as well.

"**Dreamwalkers. Daughter**, **why have you brought them? I thought we have agreed to not bring these creatures here**," The Oelytukan turned to his daughter after his initial shock, "**Their stench fills my nostrils.**"

The entire clan, including me, chuckled a bit. Jake looked more than clueless when we all started laughing.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking at the Na'vi woman.

"My father is deciding whether or not to kill you," She responded in a deeply accented tone, glancing at Jake. I didn't know she spoke English!

"Well," Jake said, licking his lips and stepping forward with a hand extended, "It's nice to meet you sir."

All the Na'vi seemed to jump at Jake and pull him back, hissing at him. I hit him on the chest and gave him a stern look.

"What?" He mouthed.

"You don't do that! It's not respectable!" I hissed back before a wise, womanly voice called out.

"**Stop! Do not touch them!**" We all looked up at a spiralling staircase to see a Na'vi woman stepping down. She wore the most clothes, seeing as she was the Tsa'hik and was a holy woman, and they were made of brightly colored threads and fabrics. Her braids were bundled up high on her head and her queue looped around her neck and chest like a necklace. She strode up to me and Jake, both spinning our queue's in her hand before taking a pin from her bone sheath on her headset and pricking Jake, tasting his blood before doing the same to me. Her eyes narrowed and looked at me, "What do you call yourselves."

"I am Jake Sully," Jake said before I could say anything and the Tsa'hik gave him a look before looking back at me.

"And you?"

"Sophie," Was all I said. I don't want to burden them with a difficult last name. The Tsa'hik nodded and backed away so she could look at both of us at the same time.

"What are you here for, JakeSully and Sophie?" She asked.

"We're here to learn," Jake replied.

"We've tried to teach the Sky People. It is hard to fill a cup which is already full."

"Trust me, his cup is empty," I said, elbowing him, "Just another Marine."

"Marine?" The Tsa'hik looked at me with inquisition clear in her eyes.

"**A... warrior from our planet**," I tried to explain on terms they might know, speaking fluently in their language, "**We are of the... Jar head clan...**"

"**A warrior? I can take the both easily!**" Tsu'tey smiled widely and I heard a few whoops from a few of the Na'vi but the Oelytukan held him back.

"**This is the first time we've encountered a warrior from the Sky People**, **let alone two. We must learn about them and their ways. They may be different than what we have been introduced to**," The Oeyltukan said loudly to the Na'vi people. A few nodded in agreement while others just grumbled, not liking that they have to share their homes with us. The Tsa'hik walked up to her daughter and looked her straight in the eye.

"**Daughter**, **you will teach them our ways. Teach them how to act like us**, **hunt like us**, **live like us.**"

"**But why me**, **mother? This isn't fair!**" The woman Na'vi protested but the Tsa'hik held up a hand, cutting her off. The Tsa'hik strode over to us and looked us over.

"My daughter will teach the both of you and we'll see if your insanity can be cured," We both nodded. The woman Na'vi went to lead us away but the Tsa'hik held up her hand when she reached for me, "**I would like to speak with this one alone.**"

"**As you wish**, **mother**," The woman Na'vi bowed her head and guided Jake away. The Tsa'hik motioned for me to follow her and I complied, following her up the spiralling staircase she descended from earlier. She led me to a private section of the tree, a seperate room hidden by a soft animal hide. I walked through into the darkened room and saw that a large fire pit laid in the middle of the small room. On the walls, all around, were shelves filled with bottles of all sizes with several varieties of liquids within them. Besides the bottles were ingredients, such as barks of trees, petals of various plants, and bones of all different animals, that were cluttered in small piles around the rooms. Around the fire pits were small cushions made of woven leaves and fronds from various plants. Only the Tsa'hik had the pleasure of comfort when sitting down since she usually sat when meditating. They wanted the Tsa'hik as comfortable as possible when speaking with Ewya.

"**Please sit**," She gestured to one of the cushions and I nodded quietly, sitting on one of the cushions. The Tsa'hik stoked the low fire, the embers glowing brightly and giving the room a warm atmosphere. She grabbed a few leaves from a shelf near her, ground them in her hand, and threw them into the embers. This sparked a high fire that rose well above our heads and glowed blue.

"Woah," I whispered, watching the fire die down in wonder. The Tsa'hik chuckled softly, sitting on the cushion across from me.

"Amazing, huh?" She smiled and I nodded vigorously. She chuckled before turning serious, "You are something special, Sophie."

"How so, Tsa'hik?"

"There is something about you, what, I do not know yet, that compells Ewya to protect you," She gestured to the spirit on my shoulder. I looked at it and held out a hand. The spirit flew down to my hand and rested there, the top of it resting on my palm, almost as if it were sleeping. I looked back up at the Tsa'hik.

"But why?"

"Like I said, I do not know. I will continue to ask Ewya until I find out. I just wanted to know if you knew anything."

"No, Tsa'hik, I do not," I answered truthfully. She nodded with a small smile.

"Well then, off with you. Go find my daughter, Neytiri, and she will give you clothing proper for life here. Then we will dine. I hope your life here isn't as difficult as many will make it for you."

"Well, that comforts me," I muttered while standing, making the Tsa'hik smile and laugh softly.

"It should. You have the comfort of Ewya with you. Now, go."

"Thank you for your time, Tsa'hik," I said before ducking out of the room and down the staircase. I found the woman, Neytiri, easily and followed her and Jake up a maze of stairwells throughout the tree. Everywhere we went, we either got glares or curious looks.

Dinner is going to be interesting tonight.

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><p><strong>an: so i veered off the normal path a lot of writers take and took a chance with meeting Tsu'tey in a different way.**

**What do you think might be in store for Sophie?**

**Review review review :D**


	4. Wise

**a/n: waaah! I'M SOOO SORRY! ! ! ! Dx i've been schlepped with mountains of semester projects and online classes so i have absolutely NO TIME for my poor babies! **

**alice: not to mention her grandma going into the hospital**

**me: shhh! but yes... anyways, enjoy the chapter please. i dunno when i might be able to update again. again: I'M SUPER SORRY! Dx**

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><p><strong>Wise<strong>

I followed Neytiri and Jake up the stairs they were standing next to. Once there and in a room full of hides, Neytiri put Jake in a loin cloth (after my laughter at his expression. Talk about priceless!) and told him to wait down the stairs. She then turned to me and gave me a skeptical look.

"What is it?" I asked but Neytiri held up a hand.

"You are of higher spiritual rank, seeing as the spirit guides you," She motioned to the spirit hanging out on my shoulder again, "So you need to wear proper clothing. No proper woman of higher spiritual rank must walk around being scantily clad."

I watched with an arched eyebrow as she rummaged through a large pile of hides and brightly colored fabrics. After a moment or two, I heard something similiar to an 'A-ha!' and watched Neytiri bring forth a light flourescent purple leaf skirt that wrapped around my waist nearly twice, a soft baby blue piece of fabric that fit around my bust like a second skin and cut off just above my belly, red beads that draped around my neck that brought a bright 'pop' to my cool-colored attire, and leather straps that wrapped tightly around my waist to keep the skirt in place.

"Thank you," I said softly, smiling at her, "It's beautiful."

"It highlights your own beauty," She smiled as well and I couldn't help but blush.

"I'm not that pretty. You, however, are very beautiful," I said and laughed when she did a double take.

"Me? No, I'm not pretty at all. Many do not give me even a glance," She said softly and looked down as we walked towards the stairwell.

"It looks like Jake took a liking to you. And I bet there's a lot of guys here that would love to be with you."

"Really?" She looked at me.

"Really," I smiled and nodded. She returned it and looked down as we stepped down the stairwell. She didn't seem so cold and docile when it was just her alone but when we stepped down and she saw Jake, Neytiri straightened and her nose went into the air.

"Come, you two. Everyone is awaiting you," She walked straight past him and he gave me a shrug. Giggling lightly, I followed the two into a large cavern with a bright fire in the middle of rings and rings of Na'vi crouching, eating their dinner. There was a woman singing and they all were chatting quietly until we walked in. Many of them glared at us, for the exception of the Tsa'hik and (to my surprise) Hilswan, and Jake laughed nervously.

"No, no. Don't get up for us," He said, trying to break the tension. A few just sneered and others sent him steely stares. Jake laughed nervously again and walked behind Neytiri, very clumsily at that. He stepped on more than a few tails (more like 8 or 9) and I managed to salvage everyone but 3. They swiped out their tails in an attempt to trip me but I just ended up stepping on them (not purposely, though). Neytiri sat me and Jake next to another and I felt something tap on my shoulder. Looking to my right, I smiled when I saw Hilswan sitting there. He returned it with a small head bow and looked back towards the fire. I followed his gaze and watched as everyone returned to their quiet murmuring and the Na'vi woman began her singing once again. Neytiri brought me and Jake a piece of meat apiece and we ate quietly. Once we were finished, she began to lead us towards, what I assumed to be, where we would be sleeping when I felt a light touch on my shoulder. Turning, I smiled once more when I saw Hilswan there.

"**Hilswan, I see you**," I smiled and bowed my head.

"**I see you, Sophie,**" He said in return. He then looked over my shoulder at Neytiri, who was standing there impatiently, "**If you don't mind, I would like to show Sophie around.**"

"**I don't care. Just have her in a pod soon**," She waved her hand dismissively and turned, Jake following her like a puppy. Hilswan grabbed my elbow lightly and gently began to pull me. Laughing softly, I gave into his pulling and followed him. We wove through throngs of Na'vi as he showed me several levels of 'Home Tree', as he called it. He showed me the rooms where clothing was made, where food was prepared, where the children were taken care of when their parents were away. A lot of the rooms reminded me of things I had back home when I was a child.

"**And this is my favorite room**," He got a gleam in his eye and led me into a vast room, a dim fire barely illuminating it. There were several older Na'vi women sitting around the fire, each had something in their hands: a few were weaving baskets, a couple were making dolls for the little children, and one was painting on a long piece of parchment. It reached one end of the room and rolled out another opening. They all looked up when Hilswan walked in and suddenly I felt shy, hiding behind him and peeking over his shoulder.. I heard many "I see you"'s and the woman painting on the scroll looked at me.

"**Hilswan, who is the lovely with the beautiful eyes behind you?**" She asked, smiling broadly at me. Hilswan moved to the side and pressed a hand to the small of my back, pushing me forward. Chuckling sheepishly, I moved a few strands of my hair behind my ear and looked down shyly.

"**My name is Sophie. I see you**," I bowed my head and the woman laughed boisterously.

"**Well, Sophie! C'mere and let us get a good look at you! We're old women and cannot see very well**," She gave a wide gesture and the women sitting around her nodded, all smiling kindly. Gathering a shred of confidence, I stepped closer to the half circle and into the light of the fire. A few of them nodded with kind smiles and the woman who had spoke before stood up, shakily, but she got to her feet. She then gestured with her hand for me to come closer, "**Here, girl. I'd like to get a good look at you.**"

"**Yes, ma'am,**" I said, stepping in front of her. She gave me a 'really?' look.

"**Ma'am? I am no ma'am! My name is Mu'ama! Not ma'am!**"

"**It's close, though**," A woman beside her said with a smile and the half circle laughed. Even Hilswan chuckled a little.

"**Hush, Jianu**," The woman, Mu'ama, reached out and ran her fingers through my loose hair, "**We'll have to braid this tomorrow.**"

"**Agreed**," Jianu said, standing as well. Both women were the same height and shared many of the same characteristics: Thin mouths, long noses, wide and wise eyes. They bore brightly colored wraps and their braids were bundled together and bound with a leather strap.

"**Are you two sisters?**" I asked, looking at the two of them. Both smiled and nodded.

"**Twins**," They both replied.

"**Very rare**," Jianu said.

"**Very rare, indeed**," Mu'ama agreed. The two both now played with my hair, twisting it this way and that, "**Such beautiful hair.**"

"**Should be very fun to braid!**" Jianu giggled lightly. More of the women got up and they all began to play with my hair, "**Oh, Mu'ama, can't we braid it tonight?**"

"**Yeah, Mu'ama! Please?**" I heard more women ask. Looking at the woman in front of me, I saw her sigh and look at the rest of the women.

"**Not tonight, I'm afraid. We can play and bundle her hair tomorrow. I'm sure she's tired.**"

"**Thank you**," I said. The women all groaned but returned to their seats. Only Mu'ama and Jianu stood.

"**Come back to us in the morning. We'll do your hair**," Jianu smiled.

"**I am not sure if I can do that.**"

"**Oh? And why is that?**" Mu'ama asked.

"**I am supposed to train with Neytiri tomorrow. I don't know how long that will take.**"

"**Oh... In that case... just come see us after. Maybe after dinner will work?**" Jianu shrugged and the women all gave their sounds of approval.

"**That's perfect**," I smiled and nodded.

"**Well, have a good sleep, Sophie**," Jianu smiled.

"**Thank you. You all have a good sleep as well!**" I said while turning to Hilswan. He held out his hand and I took it gently. He led me out of the room and up a random stairwell I had never seen before (well... it wasn't there a second ago!). I realized I was still holding Hilswan's hand and slipped mine from his grip. I saw his ears turn slightly purple and I figured that he was blushing, just as I was. We eventually walked up to a section of the tree that had no flooring but we used the large branches of the Home Tree instead. Below the branches hung long shaped pods, transparent and very flimsy looking. Hilswan easily swung into one and I followed suit, clumsily however. Stretching out on the thin material, I looked over at Hilswan, who looked more than comfortable in the hammock-like structure, "**So... Who were those women?**"

"**Those women are the wise women of the People. Whenever you have a problem, you go to them. Some are psychic, others can read your aura and whatnot, but the last two, Mu'ama ****and Jianu, are the ones who are rumoured to be direct links to Ewya-**"

"**But I thought that was the Tsa'hik?**" I interrupted.

"**In a way. The Tsa'hik interpret's the will of Ewya. These two are the one's that can directly talk to her. They are known as a rare 'race'.**"

"**Rare race?**"

"**Yeah. They're not from here. They were abandoned when little, our Olo'eyktan's father found them and took them in. They were only 9 seasons but they seemed to remember a lot about where they came from however they remembered little of their family. Come now, sleep,**" Hilswan yawned, "**This is quite comfortable once you get used to it. The pod is much better than the dirt and it keeps us up and away from predators. Just relax and it will keep you warm and comfortable.**"

"**Okay. And I won't let go of that topic. I want to know more about Mu'ama and Jianu. Have a good night's sleep, Hilswan.**"

"**As you, Sophie. You will need it, for we start early and Neytiri enjoys working you to exhaustion.**"

"**Joy**," I rolled my eyes and Hilswan laughed. I let the spirit that had been hanging out on my shoulder lie down next to my head and I smiled. Watching Hilswan touch the top of his open hammock and seeing the top close, I did the same. The material formed around me and it created warmth like a blanket. Hearing nothing but the sounds of the forests, I finally allowed my eyes to close. Behind my eyelids, I saw the swirling vortex of colors that appeared to me when I travel to and from my Avatar body. Then I saw nothing but black.

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><p>"<em>Sophie? Sophie, c'mon back to us! Please!<em>" I heard someone's voice calling to me. My vision was very blurry and there was a bright light. I blinked a time or two before my vision finally cleared enough for me to see Grace's flaming red hair staring back at me before I was crushed in a vice grip hug.

"Grace... too tight... can't... breathe!" I gasped out before she let me fall back into the jelly of the pod. She heaved a heavy sigh and smacked me upside the head, "Ow! What the hell was that for? !"

"For scaring the shit outta me! Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Jake already came out of his comatose state but when you stayed in it, it worried me. I was afraid..."

"Don't be, Gracie. I was fine. Hilswan just wanted to show me around," I groaned lightly as I pulled my stiff body up from the jelly.

"Who's Hilswan?" Grace asked, an eyebrow raised and a glint in her eye. I shoved her lightly and she laughed, holding out a hand. I graciously took it and allowed her to help me to my feet just as I got tackled in another massive hug.

"Dear Lord! Will you people let me breathe? !" I wheezed against Norm's shoulder and he released me, holding a sheepish expression.

"Heh, sorry Smiles. I was worried, y'know?"

"I guess so."

"C'mon, I bet you're hungry," Grace smiled and waved a hand for me. Shrugging, I began to walk after her into the Mess Hall, my head swimming a bit. I wasn't exactly looking forward to food, loud voices, or talking at all. I just wanted to sleep.

"Hey, Smiles, you okay?" I heard Norm ask and I glanced up with a shaky smile.

"Yeah, just... tired," I said softly. Norm nodded cautiously and we walked into the Mess Hall. Sitting down with half a tray of food, I picked at some chicken looking stuff before I heard my name being called.

"Hey, Sophie, why were out longer than me?" I looked at Jake with a shrug.

"Hilswan showed me around. That's all."

"Hilswan?" Norm nudged me with a smirk and I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Yes, Norm, Hilswan. He's just a friendly Na'vi who helped me get a bearing on Home Tree."

"So you're in the Home Tree as well? The Avatar's safe?" Grace interfered.

"Yep, Gracie, she is. Apparently I have a new little friend, too."

"I saw that," Jake pointed out, "Why was one of those dandelion puff seed things hanging out on your shoulder?"

"You had a seed of the Sacred Tree follow you?" Grace asked, her eyes wide as I nodded, "Ewya has something in store for you."

"I know. What, I don't know," I shrugged, yawning. Grace laughed with a nod.

"Norm, take her upstairs. I bet she's tired. Jake, you need rest, too. Na'vi life starts early," Grace stood up as Norm did, holding out a hand for me.

"Great," I groaned sleepily, "Just what I need. Waking up early again."

They all laughed while Norm led me out of the Mess Hall and to our Dorm. I didn't even bother changing or taking a shower.

I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

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><p>Grace had woken me and Jake up extra early so we could be fully awake for the tribe. I was still griping even though it had been an hour ago.<p>

"Oh shut up and tell me who this is," Grace said with a smile, holding out a holographic handheld in front of me and Jake. We had already gone through several of the Na'vi and I had pointed out Hilswan to Grace. Apparently he was a archer prodigy, being able to hit a bullseye from 50 meters by the age of 8 seasons. I had my doubts about it, mainly since Hilswan seemed gentle and couldn't harm a fly (or whatever tiny insects going flying about here. I know about plants, not insects!). That and that seemed awfully young for someone to shoot an arrow that far. But I guess things on Pandora are a bit different.

"Mo'at, Dragon Lady," Jake said, rolling up to his pod.

"She's the Tsa'hik," I inputted quietly.

"What's the difference between her and Eytukan?" Jake asked, hopping up into the jelly of the pod.

"Eytukan is the leader of the clan whereas Mo'at's the spiritual. She's a link to Ewya," I said simply.

"Who's Ewya?"

"Who's Ewya?" Norm asked, incredulous, "Only their deity! Their goddess! The very thing that makes up all living things on Pandora! You'd know this if you had any training.."

Geez, jealous much?

"Next," Grace shook her head and changed the screen. Jake grabbed it and gave it an odd look.

"Tsu'tey," I said quietly.

"Right, Tsu'tey," Grace nodded, "He'll be the next Olo'eyktan. Next."

The screen changed and I saw Jake's eyes light up slightly, "Neytiri."

"Correct. She'll be the next Tsa'hik. The two will become a mated pair."

"So... Who's got a date with the leader's daughter?" Jake joked and I rolled my eyes while Grace and Norm voiced their complaints.

"Gracie just said they're a mated pair. Which means: Hands off!" I said, pushing Jake down and closing the lid on his laughter. I turned to Grace with a smile, "I'll take 13."

"Alrighty. Good luck," Grace smiled back with a nod as I climbed into the softness of the pod. Closing the lid, I closed my eyes and saw the swirling vortex of colors flash behind my lids as I felt my mind being tugged hard from my human body and slammed into my Avatar.

I really need to work on my landings.

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><p>"<strong>Sophie. C'mon and wake up. Neytiri's looking for you!<strong>" I felt someone shaking my shoulder and my eyes flew open, focusing on the face before me.

"**Huh? Oh, sorry, Hilswan,**" I smiled sheepishly and sat up.

"**Don't worry about it, but I think I'd hassle if I were you. Neytiri's a bit impatient,**" Hilswan chuckled and held out a hand (which I graciously took). He helped me to my feet and onto the branch, following me when I began to walk through the branches slowly, "**She's on the base level near the entrance of Home Tree.**"

"**Thank you,**" I looked over my shoulder with a smile. Hilswan nodded with his own small smile and stopped at the top of the stairs.

"**I have some things I need to do today so go on without me.**"

"**Okay,**" I nodded and walked down the stairs. Sure enough as soon as I got down, I saw Neytiri at one of the openings of Home Tree with her arms crossed and a foot tapping. I walked up to her with a sheepish smile, "**I see you, Neytiri.**"

"**I see you,**" She replied, not really putting much emotion behind it. We waited an uncomfortable minute until Jake stumbled up.

"Sorry, I overslept," He laughed nervously and Neytiri just turned with a huff. Jake looked at me with an arched eyebrow and I just shrugged.

"Dunno. I don't think she likes us being late."

"You think?"

"I do. You don't."

"Shut up."

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"Children!" Neytiri turned sharply to us. Both me and Jake closed our mouths and looked at her menacing form. With a slight growl, Neytiri stalked up to the two of us, glaring at us both, "You two will behave whether you like it or not. I have better things to do than teach two bumbling Sky People how to live like us. _Don't _waste my time!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Jake retorted stupidly, saluting her. Rolling my eyes, I just gave her a nod. With a slight sneer, she turned on her heel and stalked forward. Me and Jake decided to keep quiet, nearly feeling the anger she held rolling off her back. We followed Neytiri for about 5 minutes, picking our way through the thick underbrush of Pandora, and stumbled into a wide field. There were several direhorses wandering the field, eating out of orchid-like flowers like a hummingbird. I'd have to look at those later.

"These are direhorses," Neytiri said to us and I turned my attention to her. She had a rope in her hand that was attached to a direhorse. Jake looked up at it with a wide look. I just blinked a few times, startled at how much larger it looked up close, "You two will learn how to ride these."

"They're just like horses," I said softly and Neytiri gave me an odd look.

"No, no, no," Neytiri said, "_Dire_horses."

"A horse, no 'dire' before it, is an animal from me and Jake's planet. They're much smaller than these, though," I smiled, laying a hand on the direhorse's shoulder. The muscles tensed beneath my hand and I had a feeling that I shouldn't piss off this animal no more than should I piss off a Thanator. This thing has some power backing it! Neytiri nodded, not looking like she really cared, and turned to Jake.

"You first. Up."

"Uh.. Okay," Jake said, unsure of himself. He walked up to the direhorse, placing his hands along it's back and patting it, "Easy boy."

"Malee is female," Neytiri simply said.

"Sorry. Easy, girl," Jake grunted before he hauled himself onto Malee's back. The direhorse shifted, adjusting to the sudden weight change with a soft snort. Neytiri gave him a curt nod and grabbed Malee's queue, brushing it towards Jake. Jake breathed in a deep breath and grabbed his own queue, allowing the tiny tentacles to connect between the two. The direhorse snorted and shuffled her multiple feet.

"You feel that? That's _tsaheylu_, the bond," Neytiri explained to Jake, placing a hand on Malee's shoulder. Jake nodded, closing his eyes, "Feel the way she breathes, the power in her legs, her strong heart. Do you feel it?"

"Yeah," Jake said, opening his eyes and looking at Neytiri with a nod.

"Good. When you become more skilled, you can tell them to go with your mind. For now, tell her aloud," Neytiri said, backing away from Malee and motioning for him to go.

"Alright, uh... f-forward," Jake motioned with his arm. He was jerked back when Malee suddenly charged forward. He made it a total of 4 direhorse steps before completely falling off Malee and into the mud. Both me and Neytiri burst out laughing and jogging up to the man in the mud. Just as I was helping Jake up, I heard the sound of several direhorses trotting up. Glancing up, I saw Tsu'tey, Hilswan, and another warrior ride up.

"You are wasting your time, alien," Tsu'tey said in a heavily accented English. Honestly, it surprised me that he knew any, "You should leave."

"Nah, you'd miss me too much," I really doubt that, Jake, "I knew you could speak English."

"**He can never learn to see. A rock See's more than him!**" Tsu'tey laughed and I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"**Can't disagree with you on that**," I muttered and turned to Jake. I heard someone snort a laugh and figured it was Hilswan. Neytiri smiled as well and swatted the direhorse Tsu'tey was on, saying 'Go' at the same time she turned to Jake. Nodding to the direhorse Jake just fell off of, she looked at me.

"Your turn."

"Joy," I said, walking up to the direhorse and hopping up easily. I brought my queue around and took a deep breath before connecting mine to Malee's. What happened was _not _something I expected. I was suddenly seeing through Malee's eyes. All the colors of the forest around blurred together in a technicolor blob. Her heartbeat loud in my sensitive ears and the shuffling of her legs were like that of my own. I could barely hear Neytiri as my senses were overloaded by the suddeness of new senses. I heard 'go' and 'speak' and I looked forward with my eyes of the Avatar and said, "Walk."

Malee snorted and walked forward at a leisurely pace. After a few moments of walking, I got up the courage to get her to trot. I guess a direhorse's trot is a lot rockier than a Earth's horse because I ended up bouncing off the direhorse and into the dirt. Hearing Jake laugh, I groaned and rolled to my side with a smile.

"Guess I got a little cocky, huh?" I smiled up at Jake and he nodded at me, holding out a hand for me to take. Grasping it, Jake help pull me to my feet and we both looked over at Neytiri, who caught Malee.

"Again."

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><p><strong>an: well, it doesn't have much to it but i promise it'll get better!**

**alice: when time and school permits it.**

**me: yeah :/**

**What do you guys want to see happen next?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


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